Fight or Flight
by Watcher321
Summary: Lloyd Garmadon, former evil-lord-in-training and secret ninja hero, has worked for years to pull the wool over the eyes of the people of Ninjago. When his father fails for the final time to conquer Ninjago City and is sentenced to life in prison, it's time for Lloyd to put his own plans in action.
1. Chapter 1

My other story, Spinjitzu Master(?), is pretty small and only a few chapters away from completion, and so I felt like putting this up even though the other isn't completely uploaded yet, since it helps break up the monotony. :) Anyway, Kay Hau has an AMAZING story, My Dad is Bad, but Still Family!, and it's convinced me I want to give this show-movie-blended-universe thing a shot. I'm also experimenting with using present tense, so let me know how it's going. Enjoy!

* * *

_Save the people. Avoid the fight._ That was the mantra, running on a loop in Green's head, always there. _Save the people._ Protect Ninjago, his Dad told him. _Avoid the fight._ Save your father, his Mom said.

He could do both, just… not easily. Not with the _little_ complication currently piloting the two-legged robotic shark that was wrecking downtown, laughing maniacally.

So what, his Dad's a supervillain. Big whoop. None of the others know, and they don't need to. That's also technically not his Dad… not the Dad he knows, anyway. Look, just because Garmadon has an ancient toxin controlling his mind doesn't mean he's not a good guy! He just… slips. Regularly, and attacks the city every time he does.

Let's see how you'd fare after being bitten by a magical world-devouring snake! That's besides the point though, Green just got distracted, and he's not supposed to get distracted. Not when Jay is panicking in the radio in his ear to "_help me I've got multiple squadrons on my nine and three!"_

Green is still on autopilot while saving his… associate? Coworker? Anyway, the crab-shaped jets are rubble on the pavement when Green is done, the pilots wearing dolphin and sea-urchin hats woozily untangling themselves from the wrecks, unharmed. His Dad never skimps on protective measures for his troops; after all, he knows who they're going up against.

"_Thanks dude!"_ Jay's voice sounds in his ear, but Green doesn't respond, and they don't expect him to. The rest of the Secret Ninja Force thinks he's quiet, or shy or something, and that's alright with him.

There. Lee and some of his guys couldn't leave the Pilates Studio in time. It seems to get hit every time they rebuild, and Green's got a feeling General Number 12 is behind it; he's seen the man's resume.

Currently Lee and his coworkers are stranded in the middle of their fallen building. Green tilts one of his levers ever so slightly, and his mech, Green Dragon, banks for the studio. There are shouts of "Hurrah!" and "Thank you, Green Ninja!" It's only after the civilians have made it safely away that Green realizes he's gotten distracted again.

"_Green! Green! On your six!"_

"_Dude he's right there! Green look out!"_

"_Now! Take the shot, he's wide open!"_

The rest of his team have been buzzing in his ear for about two minutes, and Green only realizes it's addressed to him when he turns Green Dragon and sees his father. He's down the block, his mech looking a little worse for wear. He's seen him as well.

Green and Garmadon lock eyes. They both hold the same fear: _is this it?_ Green recognizes the look in Garmadon's eye, the one hidden beneath the fever and madness. The one that says _I love you son,_ the one telling him to protect Ninjago.

_Save the people._

Green turns his thrusters on full, and speeds away from Garmadon and his troops.

_Avoid the fight._

The others are there, they'll take care of what's left. Green ducks out of sight for a moment, turns on Dragon's camo, and silently makes his way to their secret warehouse. He ignores the panicked cries in his ear, asking where he is. Green Dragon powers down, and the radio is turned off and put away.

Green sneaks his way through the half-wrecked, upset city to his empty little apartment, where leftover pizza and his favorite games are waiting after homework. His balcony is on the top floor, facing inward on an alley. This way, nobody sees him come and go. Bonus: nobody wants a room like that, so it's cheap.

He swings under the roof onto the railing and whips out the key to his back door. Once it's safely locked behind him, the mask comes off, and suddenly Green is gone.

Lloyd Garmadon stands in his place, the green glow of power fading from his eyes until they've adjusted to his comfortable shade of red. It's a nifty trick, but difficult to keep up sometimes. The ninja gi comes off, the sweater goes on, and Lloyd flops down on the couch, exhausted.

His phone buzzes, and anxiously he whips it out, eyes scanning the text. He cracks a smile, it's from his mom.

_Had to climb Torchfire Mountain to do it, but I got service. How's it been?_

Lloyd chuckles, that sounds like Misako Garmadon, and types up a quick response: _Okay. You wouldn't believe the rotten luck of that Pilates Studio._ He spends the rest of the night like that, feet propped up while he and his mom catch up on each other's adventures.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey! How goes it? This is happening, slowly but surely. I'm in a bit of chaos right now, but things will (hopefully) slow a little come fall. For now, I'll crank these out little by little. I'm really excited for this, so enjoy!

* * *

"You can't just run off like that, Green. What if you get hurt, or worse, captured?" Cole is sitting next to Green on the couch in the Secret Ninja Force's warehouse, having an amiable one-sided chat with the quietest member of his team. Cole's pretty quiet himself, but fate and skill determined him the team leader, and he had to force himself out of his shell pretty quickly.

"If we lose track of you, anything could happen!" He continues, trying to press his point gently. "Our team needs you Green, and we need to know where you are. If we can't rely on you during battle, the distraction could prove our downfall."

Green doesn't respond, but Cole can see the scowl krinkle between his eyes under the mask he never takes off. That's another oddity, the other members of the force took to getting to know each other quickly. Cole doesn't know if it's Green's being the latecomer on the team, but they all knew each other's secret identities within the first week, heck they even hang out in school!

All of them, except Green. Green joined the force late, a year or two after they all began training under Master Wu. In the time since then they've all graduated into High School. They've known Green for years, but he refuses to take off the mask, and never says much.

Which is a shame, because Cole knows Jay's been _dying_ to ask if his eyes, which are incredibly bright green and seem to glow, are naturally like that or if the local Green Ninja wears contacts.

You'd think the eyes would be a dead giveaway, but the entire Force has tried to use them to find Green in public, and failed. Nobody could miss those brilliant shiny irises. In fact, the only other person in the city whose eyes are that distinct is Lloyd Garmadon, but his are red.

Cole's wondered before if they both wear contacts. Then again, Lloyd is the son of evil warlord Lord Garmadon, daily weather phenomenon and the Secret Ninja Force's sworn enemy. The man, if he is one, has four arms and looks like he was struck by lightning. Not to mention his eyes, too, are flaming red, so there's the possibility Lloyd's are natural.

_Maybe Green has supernatural parentage._ Cole wonders. He'd never actually considered that one, but if Green was part serpentine or something Cole could see him wanting to leave the mask on. It would also explain why he doesn't speak often; serpentine are supposed to have a very distinct dialect, or so Cole's heard. He's never actually met one, and isn't sure he'd recognize one if he did.

That would be a question to bring to Master Wu later, Cole decides. He's come to their Master and Sensei often regarding Green. Usually Sensei Wu's advice isn't that helpful, it almost always consists of confusing metaphors, but if he asked Wu _directly_ if Green was part snake…

"Hel-_LO,_ earth to Earth Ninja! Cole, wake up!" The black ninja starts as he realizes Kai is waving a hand in front of his face. "Come on, Sensei Wu wants a meeting. You coming, Green?" Their resident hothead and pilot of a man-shaped flamethrower offers his hand to the silent teen. _He is a teenager, right?_

Green takes Kai's hand readily, but shakes his head. The red ninja pulls him to his feet and shrugs, clapping him on the back. "Alright, see you tomorrow buddy!" Cole watches Green leave with a frown on his face. Kai is the only member of the force Green allows to treat him like that, and if Cole had an ounce of the fireboy's charm he might convince Green to open up…

Yet, he doesn't, and when asked Kai refuses to push. Whatever Green does, he rolls with it, and they're closer for it. Cole supposes he'll have to take what he can get.

* * *

Lloyd always walks away from the warehouse with mixed feelings in his chest. He loves being around Kai, who's personality can be summed up in one sentence: "relax, I'll take care of it." It's comforting. He also respects Cole, _tries_ to look like he's listening to those heart-to-heart talks he keeps getting. Part of him doesn't want to be a burden, but the less involved Lloyd is in the Force the better.

Partly because he can't afford to be caught alone against his Dad, or doom might befall the world. Literally. The other reason… that's more complicated.

When Lloyd was in middle school his mom, Koko, returned from long years of searching, for what Lloyd hadn't known at the time. He'd only known that his mom was away, "on an important errand," his Dad had said. She wasn't absent, not completely. He got cards for every occasion, and video chat sometimes.

It was shortly after _the incident._ The one where Lloyd unlocked his power of energy, the one where he learned his fate. The one Lloyd doesn't ever think about, because that's the closest he's ever come to losing the father he loves; it wasn't until after _that day_ that he met his mom in person for the first time.

She was beautiful, with twinkling eyes and a bubbly laugh. Every bit the strong, courageous woman his Dad told stories about, but in person those eyes shone even brighter than the armor she wore in pictures.

Then Garmadon handed her custody of Lloyd, and the keys to an apartment he'd bought for them, and his world flipped upside down. He'd been introduced to his Uncle Wu, given answers to all the questions he hadn't asked and none of the ones he _did_, and began his training.

He was on leave from school for those few weeks, really until he learned to control his powers enough to stop blowing up the light bulbs attached to every switch he touched. He'd first met the rest of the team, Kai and the others, during that time, and had never let them see his real colors. He'd remained silent when he learned it was their job to fight Garmadon, ignored the feeling of horror growing in his chest.

Wu didn't want Lloyd to fight his brother, Garmadon, but he also believed the final confrontation was inevitable. At the request of Garmadon's wife, Misako, who still toiled many years to find a way to prevent the meeting of father and son in a final clash, he took Lloyd under his wing. If destiny were to win, it would not find Lloyd unprepared.

And so Lloyd's place was decided, in the background, helping civilians, preventing damage if he could. Yet Lloyd refuses to really get to know the team, and rarely interacts with them. He's terrified of becoming friends with the side of good.

If he does, he'll lose his father forever.


	3. Chapter 3

The library is silent, as it's supposed to be, when Lloyd walks through the doors in a green hoodie and a pair of jeans. There are a few muffled gasps, a few moms try to inconspicuously place themselves between him and the kiddie play area, but no one makes a big fuss. They're all terrified of the librarian, one of Lloyd's favorite people in town. She doesn't take nonsense, not from Lloyd himself, nor from anyone who wants to fuss about Lloyd. So long as he doesn't start glowing red and ripping up her books, the son of Garmadon has free reign.

Thank goodness, because this place is a regular pitstop. Lloyd is either researching various topics and locations for his mom, or just ducking in to escape the whispers on the street while he pretends to browse. Safe haven.

The librarian, an irritable woman with way too many wrinkles for being middle-aged, doesn't greet him when he enters. When he first came to the library for Koko he thought that was because, well, him. Lloyd Garmadon, evil spawn, future dark lord, et cetera. Then after hanging around he realized she doesn't greet _anyone;_ Lloyd has yet to get her name, but he appreciates the inattention immensely.

He looks around, the red of his eyes a little more prominent in the semi-dim light. It seems he's safe today. None of the occasional _newcomer_ episodes, when people who haven't been to the library before start freaking out. Good, he can do without the fuss. His shoulders relax significantly, his back straightens, and his head bobs as he glides over to the history shelves.

* * *

_Magic and Madness: The Complete Ninjagan History._ Too broad, it would take ages to find anything in that.

_Protecting Your Life and Livelihood: The Fight Against Ninjago's Wilds._ It was published recently, perhaps it has new information… but flipping through, Lloyd realizes it's focus is modern-day monsters, threats, and general pests to the safety of rural communities. Dragons and the like, not what he's looking for.

_Serpentine: REAL sightings, documentation, and more!_ Totally a gimmick, it's still argued amongst the general public whether the serpentine exist, extinct or otherwise. The ninja force knows they're still around, courtesy of Master Wu, and Lloyd knows many personally, not that he's told anyone. The book is obviously fake unless you have the eye of an anthropologist. The poorly costumed figure on the cover isn't even from one of the five tribes.

"Come out, come out, please…" Lloyd mumbles pleadingly to his target. Suddenly the titles on the shelf are blocked by a black-suited hand reaching for the serpentine book, and Lloyd starts. He'd been so focused he nearly bumped into the broad-shouldered gentleman stubbornly browsing in his way.

_That's unusual._ He thinks, side-stepping around the crisply dressed man. Most people are so unnerved when they see him coming he can browse the shelves without ever running into another person.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize I was- _oh._" The stranger was trying to apologize for being in his way, until he turned and caught sight of who was walking around him.

"No big," Lloyd shrugs, refusing to make eye contact as he bends and begins reading the titles by his knees. He can feel the suited man hovering, probably wondering whether to hold his ground or walk away.

He decides to hold steady, much to Lloyd's chagrin. Well, two can play that game. The blond teen half the size of this man purposely pulls out a book and begins flipping through it, seemingly unconcerned. _Beasts and Bones: Relics of Ninjago's Past._ It doesn't look super promising, but then the best books never do. Lloyd tucks it under his arm.

"You… you like history?" The gentleman asks, cautiously reaching for another book on snakes. Wow, this guy is _really_ pushing his luck.

"I guess." Lloyd shrugs. _Venoms, Hexes, and Ancient Evils._ Now _that_ looks good, Lloyd grabs it along with a few related titles he's read before. Never hurts to cross-reference. Thumbing through a book on apocalyptic myths, particularly the legend of the Great Devourer, he adds, "you too, then?"

The gentleman's _very_ surprised to receive a response. Lloyd can tell though he still hasn't seen his face. "Y-yes."

"Then," Lloyd says, turning to face him, "you will find this much more helpful than that stupid gimmick." He hands the man a thin hard-back with an (actual, Lloyd knows,) Hypnobrai inscription on the front. While the stranger is too startled to respond, Lloyd gets a good look at his face.

He's young, not too young, but his face is smooth and clean. The man is wearing a nicely pressed suit, and has short, cropped black hair. Lloyd takes a mental note for later, because something has to be up with this guy.

_Nobody_ just starts a casual conversation with Lloyd Garmadon.

Without a word, Lloyd brushes past him to the self-checkout. On the way, his eye catches one of the magazines. Footage of the ninja's mechs is on the cover, with the blurb "_Our Secret Ninja: Who and Where are They?"_ He smiles a little, this has happened before, but grabs it anyway. Odds are very slim the news is on any of their tails, but if they are he'd like to know.

Plus, it's just plain hilarious to see how wrong they are.

* * *

Carrying an armful of books means Lloyd has to enter his apartment by the front door. He's pretty sure nobody knows he lives here, but it's best not to take chances. Entering unseen is his specialty, from sneaking into the warehouse to retrieve forgotten items to entering his own apartment by rooftop. Sometimes after Garmadon attacks the city is really riled up, and he sneaks into his school classrooms ninja-style.

The front door is definitely _not_ his preferred method of entry, but he would never risk damaging the books. A jug of milk he can totally drop four stories, the librarian's precious stock on the other hand...

Locking the door firmly behind him, he sets the small stack on the kitchen counter and whips out his phone, rereading Koko's text.

_If you could send me some material on the Devourer, I want to compare some new scrolls and check the Venomari archive._

Lloyd types up a quick _Can do, just sent,_ and whistles. "Suuuugar**snap**!" There's a _whirrrrrrr-clunk_ of fans and machinery coming to life, and two shining green eyes light up in his dark living room.


	4. Chapter 4

Oh my gosh, the last quarter of this chapter was SO HARD to figure out . It's here though, enjoy!

* * *

It's Monday again, after a thankfully Garmadon-attack-free weekend. Mrs. Laudita is already at the high school, thumbing through her papers. Her classes are starting a new english unit today; while the prospect isn't all that pleasant she had a good weekend, and doesn't want to spoil her chipper mood.

First period goes well, second, then her prep break (which she spends browsing pinterest, unashamed,) and then lunch. The gray-haired woman has brought her own lunch, which she eagerly unpacks in the faculty breakroom. She winces a little bit as she sits down, she's been feeling her age a little more these past few years, and fall always seems to be the kicker.

Mrs. Laudita has just taken off her glasses to give her sore ears a break when Sue bounces into the breakroom, nearly thirty years her junior and still full of new-teacher excitement.

"Hey Rachel!" She greets enthusiastically, popping the fridge open and taking her own lunch out. Without waiting for a response, she sits down and begins rambling. "I didn't know Lloyd Garmadon went to this school, or school at all for that matter," she starts conversationally.

"Yup," Rachel replies after taking a bite out of her sandwich, "he's a good kid." Sue gasps, leaning in conspiratorially.

"Good!" She exclaims. "He's literally the Worst Guy Ever's son! He's pure evil!"

Rachel shrugged in response. "He's respectful, shows up on time and gets his work done. That's all I ask."

"Doesn't he give you a hard time though?" Sue continues to press. "I hear," she lowers her voice as if sharing a great secret, "that in Garmadon's will he's given Lloyd Ninjago City when he conquers it. Some of the teachers say they keep his grades down so he won't be able to use his education for evil."

"Lloyd can't stop his father from doing what he does," Rachel says. "Lloyd himself hasn't done anything, and he won't do anything. I see no reason not to treat him like any other student." Thoroughly fed up with the conversation, Rachel packs her lunch away, puts her glasses back on and says, "have a good day, Sue." Then, without a word, she's gone through the break room door.

* * *

"Lady Irondragon!" The Venomari General, Acidicus, cries out gleefully when he sees who's being escorted into the tomb's throne room. "What a pleasssure, what a pleasssure indeed! I'm terribly sssorry for the rude welcome." He waves away the guards holding Misako at spearpoint.

"It's not a problem at all, General." The lady smiles, her spear in the hands of a serpentine warrior. Outsiders, few though they are, are not allowed weapons within the tombs. "I understand you've been having trouble."

"What elssse do you expect from those numbskulls in the Underworld?" Acidicus sighs. "It'sss nothing we can't handle, My Lady, pleasse tell me, what bringss you to our abode?"

"I want to request a few days to study your libraries again," Koko responds. "I've found additional information I want to compare. If it's alright, Lloyd will be sending some material with Sugarsnap as well."

"Of coursse!" The venomari says with glee. "Right thiss way," and Misako follows him as his long green tail snakes into the dark corridors.

"I hope young Garmadon isss keeping himsself bussy," Acidicus says as he escorts Misako. They've been walking for several minutes, the tombs are vast and winding, and there's little better opportunity to catch up.

"Of course." Misako smiles. "He's in for a rough year, as usual, but-" she suddenly cuts off, and slips into fighting stance. The corridor ahead seems empty, until purple scales materialize out of the dark.

"My apologies, Koko." The massive snake general bowed his long, long neck. "I didn't mean to sneak up on you."

"None taken, Pythor." Misako responds cordially. She's never liked this snake, always using her nickname, always creeping around in the shadows. "I hope you've been treating yourself well," she adds.

"Never better, My Lady!" Pythor smiles, a sinister sight in the dim light. "I'm simply hoping to catch up on your progress on the Devourer!"

"I'll be sure to let you know when something new comes up, Pythor." Misako gives a hard smile, and pointedly walks around the Anacondrai General to follow Acidicus to the library.

"I'll be around!" Pythor calls after her. "Anytime!"

* * *

The school bell rings, and almost immediately the sound is lost by the drone of moving bodies outside the classroom door. The desks are empty even faster, Rachel's entire class is gone before the first dong ends. Again, nobody is asking questions about the assigned homework, and again, she's going to see the effects of it tomorrow.

She doesn't leave yet, though. Rachel likes to take her time packing up. It helps her avoid the immediate end-of-school traffic rush. There's a little rattling at one of the classroom windows, and she turns to see Lloyd as he slips through the now-open glass panel. He closes it carefully behind him, and pockets the screwdriver.

"Lloyd!" Rachel calls, and the blonde-haired teen starts. "Good of you to drop in."

"I hope you don't mind, Mrs. Laudita." He grins nervously, adjusting the straps of his backpack. "I wanted to ask a few questions about the homework."

Lloyd always talks that way, half-uncertain, waiting for rejection, despite the fact he'd been seeing her after school nearly every day for years. He always runs the same kind of errand, though Rachel suspects the kid to be more intelligent than he lets on. She believes he rarely needs actual clarification, and is just doing the same as her: avoiding the rush.

"Of course!" She smiles, "lay it on me." There it goes, his crimson eyes light up, a little sparkle buzzing around the iris. She has yet to find another person whose eyes can do that.

"Great!" He beams, swinging his backpack onto one of the desks. "I actually wanted to talk about the last paragraph before the bell rang…"

* * *

The Venomari Archive is a grand place, bookshelves several stories high set in the stone columns holding up the ceiling. The cave was custom excavated, and doubles as a garden with beds of grasses, shrubs and pleasantly-scented flowers circling large boulders just right for curling upon to read. The lower level is lit by candlelight and a pool of specially mixed venom that casts an eerie green glow. Above, sunlight rains through carefully disguised ventilation shafts, casting warm yellow circles on the stone floor, and glimmering on trickles down the cave wall that act as drinking fountains.

Needless to say, in all her travels the Venomari Archive remains one of Koko's very favorite places to be. Perhaps it came from their need to pass down elixirs and recipes related to their venom, but however it began the Venomari hold the single greatest library among the serpentine and, Koko suspects, all of Ninjago.

Most modern-day serpentine are literate in their own tongue, though very few know the script used by the human citizens of Ninjago. This means literature is found in all the tribes, but even the Fanpyre's less-than-modest collection of mechanical and anatomical scripts fails to compare to the grand vaults of the Venomari.

Certainly, a large section of shelf space is devoted to the Venomari's preferred material, venoms, poisons and other kinds of alchemy, but right alongside it sits some of the most fabled records in all of Ninjagan history. Oh, if Koko's fellow archaeologists knew what was here, they'd never let it rest.

Making herself comfortable, cross-legged on a warm, sunlit slab of flat rock, Koko swings her hiking pack off with a sigh of relief. Some browsers by the shelves give her odd, lingering stares, especially the younger Venomari. It's less from surprise at her being there, (in terms of snake years she's here frequently,) and more to do with none of the serpentine having seen a human being besides herself, and in some cases Lloyd and Garmadon as well. She is, put simply, exotic.

Koko is there for quite a while, rereading the scrolls she's rescued from forgotten, ancient corners of the world. Occasionally she gets up and wanders to one of the stone columns, often climbing the provided ladder to look at those rarely-touched tomes above. Sometimes she brings one back, skims through it, and jots something down in one of her many notebooks strewn about. Other times the text absorbs her, and the Lady Irondragon is found on her back, elbows propping the book above her head with one bent knee crossed over the other for hours.

A soft whiiiirrrrrrr stirs the air, growing progressively closer. Koko doesn't look up until she hears the kit-chunk of the machine landing next to her, and then she breaks her focus.

Sugarsnap is a device of Lloyd's, made to resemble Green Dragon at a fraction of the size. The serpentine call it "the Messenger," for that is always its errand when they pass the lithe machine puttering toward the library, the General's seal hung in gold around its neck. The seal is placed on Sugarsnap after successfully checking in with the tomb guard, and reassures the snakes inside that the alien object is meant to be there. The robot must check out again and have the seal removed before it can continue its homeward journey.

The eyes of the dragon, glowing like green headlights, flash gold three times after Koko sits up, the sign the facial recognition passed and it's now safe to approach. The jaw unhinges automatically, and a letter from Lloyd along with the Green Ninja's symbol is sitting in the mouth, their code for the right person having sent it.

Koko takes the letter, she'll read it later, and the jaw closes. The dragon makes a few whirr-blink noises and suddenly the eyes turn red, BUZZZZ.

"I know, silly thing." Koko scolds, and she opens the dragon's side where the belly compartment can be accessed. The machine had detected that the load had not been removed, which resulted in the red-eyed error warning.

It's a healthy stack of books, and Koko files through them appreciatively as she piles them on the rock. Lloyd's been getting a real eye for her research. Some of them already have sticky notes marking chapters of interest.

A fresh set of notebooks is in the back, and Koko sets them aside. When she's done with her (looking like several week's worth of) research, she'll load her old notebooks into the dragon to have Lloyd digitize them. Sugarsnap was originally designed for one-way delivery, but it has many override commands (most known only to Lloyd,) and one of them will bypass the receival error and send it back fully loaded.

Finding itself empty, the dragon makes a series of mechanical clunks, the eyes flash gold twice, and then die as the dragon turns down to idle, preprogrammed by Lloyd to wait for a return package. Koko settles herself down again, and beings looking through the material, four books open around her at a time.

* * *

Lloyd's question was simple, and as they leaned over a student desk together he joked to Mrs. Laudita: "Beachfront property, eh? Bet whoever wrote this hasn't visited Ninjago." The book they were examining was from somewhere called Metalonia, where they didn't concern themselves with tiny islands halfway across the globe.

It wasn't very professional of her, but Mrs. Laudita couldn't hide her snicker. "You should send him a letter and tell him how cheap the rent is out here." If she and Lloyd had had this conversation two years ago Mrs. Laudita might have immediately frozen in fear of offending him. The opposite was actually true, it had been Lloyd himself to start opening their dialogue to his own touchy subjects. She suspected he wanted to talk about life in Ninjago like it didn't involve him; to just have a normal conversation, no Garmadon's-son baggage attached.

At least, that was her theory. She was more than happy to talk with the lonely boy; she'd never been one to pay attention to rumors.

Sadly, an all-too familiar siren started wailing over the rooftops and air-conditioning units of downtown Ninjago City. Mrs. Laudita noticed Lloyd's face crease in tension, but it was just as quickly gone and replaced with a casual mask.

"Well, that's my que." He sighed, gathering up his things.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Mrs. Laudita asked. "We can stay here until this blows over." She didn't want some angry lunatic with a freshly crushed house to attack him in the street.

"Nah, the best time to duck during these things is in the thick of the action," Lloyd winked at her, "hiding in plain sight." He swung his backpack over his shoulder and waved, "stay safe Mrs. Laudita," before leaving through the classroom door.

She watched him go biting her lip in apprehension. It was sick, she thought, that anyone should have to worry about being seen the way Lloyd did, especially a kid like himself. If she ever found a ninja she'd march right up to them and demand they fix this, but they were never seen or spoken to; not outside of combat, anyway.


	5. Chapter 5

It's alive!

* * *

When Lloyd said hiding in plain sight, he meant it. It was a short trip to the Warehouse through back alleys and abandoned factories; by the time he got there the other mechs were already gone, but that was nothing unusual.

"_Green! You're late,"_ Cole's voice comes through the radio as Green Dragon launches into view against the sky. "Sorry," is the Green Ninja's only quiet response, and then they're all in the thick of the action.

"_Jay, jets headed for the tower on your two o'clock; take them out."_

"_I'm already on it,"_ he responds to Cole. Green watches the lightning jet circle, wings tipped perpendicular with the ground as it fries half the formation right out of the sky. Police are gathering below to arrest the pilots, who are ejected with parachutes unfolding as the cockpits literally erupt; which is by design, Green knew. "If you're going to get your stuff wrecked, may as well get it wrecked in style!" was one of his Dad's favorite points of logic. Smoking scraps of debri were falling out of the sky, and that's when Green notices the unfortunate customers at the outdoor mall below.

"_Green!" _There's a voice in his radio, or three, he can't tell. The Green Ninja is already in place, and emerald flame spews from his dragon mech to burn each piece to a crisp. Some of the larger pieces, the jet wings and engines, he swats out of the way, and Green Dragon's limbs respond fluidly to his own as he accesses the elemental energy used to power the machine. In the end, all that rains on the citizens hiding under tables and peering out from shop windows is ashes.

Green Dragon's thrusters turn on and the mech boosts smoothly away, rippling like a giant serpent as Green leaves behind the cheering people on the ground.

"_Nice job, Green,"_ comes Cole's voice. "_Keep alert for Garmadon, looks like he decided to launch with the second wave today."_

"_He's launching alright,"_ Nya's voice comes as Green turns to see her mech surfing on the coast, then suddenly the radio screams and Green winces as his ears are assaulted, "_missile incoming!"_

The muzzle of a large canon had been raised just above sea level behind a reef, and the ninja didn't notice until it was too late. There's a piercing _shriek_ as the air whistles. Nya immediately assaults the canon. Cole tries to jump and block the missile, but falls short. Jay's jet, while fast, is facing the wrong way and can't intercept the trajectory in time. Kai and Zane are useless on the ground.

It's just Green.

But even as Green Dragon launches forward, Green does nothing. His move to action is only a pretense, anyway. The missile is headed for the prison, he knows; it's about that time of year.

The nose of the missile penetrates the concrete wall of one wing of the prison, and the explosion blows a hole in the wall large enough for fifteen people to walk out shoulder to shoulder, and with perfect timing Garmadon's drill mech breaks the surface of the prison yard.

"All right, everybody in, no pushing, no shoving; I'm looking at you, number three hundred and seventy-one!" Garmadon roars through the speakers of the cockpit. The prisoners, most of which are previously arrested members of Garmadon's shark army, flood through the wall in a haphazard rush. "Hey!" Garmadon barks, "this is a prison break-out, not a mob! Order, people, keep it in order!"

"_Everyone to the prison! Now!"_ Cole's been shouting through the radio even as the tip of Garmadon's drill broke the surface. Kai and Zane are nearly there, though they had to navigate the city streets in a very indirect route. Cole's right behind them, Jay just managed to turn around but now he's crossing the entire city in seconds, and Nya's unfortunately nowhere near the area.

Green decides to act like he's guarding their rear. Just as Kai and Zane burst onto the scene in an impressive display of flamethrowers and ice cannons, the hatch to the drill mech is closing.

"See you later, ninja-losers!" Garmadon cackles, and as the mech sinks back below the ground fireworks erupt from the hole it left, exploding in victorious effigies of Garmadon's face and shark-shaped patterns.

"_Oh no you don't!"_ Cole shoutes, and the earth rocks as he slams the full force of his mech into the ground. Whether or not it affected Garmadon, they couldn't tell.

* * *

"Well, that's just great!" Jay rants as he climbs out of the depowered lightning jet back in the warehouse.

"We've been tricked, we've been backstabbed, and we've been quite possibly bamboozled." Zane says solemnly as he exits his own mech.

"Oh, knock it off Zane." Nya grumbles as he climbs down the catwalk ladder.

"He's right though, sis!" Kai is having a little fit of his own, still fiddling with the controls of his mech. "We got totally schooled."

Cole sighs, and gears himself up for a pep talk. "I'll admit, this hasn't been our best day." He starts, "but come on guys, nobody's perfect. You know what? Tomorrow Garmadon will come, and we'll throttle him!" He hits his palm with his fist. "We'll show him that if he wants business with Ninjago, Ninjago means business!"

Then Cole faced a room of skepticism.

"Mmph, good try." Jay offers, coming over to punch Cole's shoulder. "You still need to polish those epic-speech skills though."

"Aw, come on guys!" Cole protests, "I thought that was clever!"

"'Ninjago means business?'" Kai snorts. "Maybe another day; you'll get there!" He pats the earth ninja's shoulder encouragingly.

"You guys are all jerks," Cole grumbles, flopping onto the couch in complete exhaustion.

"It is not the size of the ninja in the fight, but the size of the fight in the ninja." Says an old man's voice from the shadows, where their Master is suddenly there, drinking tea cross-legged in a traditional white kimono and straw hat. "Let this be a lesson to you all," he says, raising his cup, "so even in defeat you will rise to try again." Cole finds he can't help but be jealous.

"Yes, Sensei Wu," the teens lined up and bowed to their Master.

"Now then!" Wu's voice is crisp and his staff _thunks_ on the floor as he flips to his feet, "time for training, all of you! I want spinjitzu exercises for two hours!"

"OOoh no," the collective groan comes as Wu's students reluctantly moved to take their places on mats in the warehouse. Cole is taking role as he gets up when he suddenly stops.

"Wait," he says, "where's Green?"

"Ugh!" Jay groans, "why is he never here to do any of the hard stuff?"

"Cut him some slack," Kai snaps back, "I'm sure he has a reason."

Wu sighs and pulls on his beard; whether he's frustrated with the other guys or the absent ninja, Cole can't tell. "I will ensure Green completes his allotted training," Wu says. "You five get started now, while I see where he has gone."

Wu leaves the warehouse as the five ninja get into position on the mats and begin to work.

* * *

Lloyd's phone buzzes, and he jumps, fumbling for the power button as he stands on the beach in his civilian clothes, waiting for a ride. _You're not in training._ It's from Uncle Wu.

_I'll train later._ He promises, sending the message back. His phone buzzes again.

_How later?_

_After the movie._ Lloyd responds.

_Lloyd, you know what I've said about visiting the volcano._ Right, Uncle Wu thinks it's too dangerous for Lloyd to spend time with his evil-supervillain-lord-of-darkness Dad. Well so long to that, and all the dumb prophecy garbage attached.

_I'll be okay. I'll practice with Dareth._

_Dareth is no substitute for a proper ninja._ Lloyd groans in frustration, typing faster.

_Then I'll come to the warehouse tonight! I'll do anything you say, no complaints._

His phone is silent for a minute, then: _You need your sleep. It's Monday._

_I'll manage,_ Lloyd types back. There's another minute of silence.

_Don't say I didn't warn you; I'll see you at 11._

"Yes!" Lloyd breathes, grinning madly. "Thank you Uncle Wu!" Then he changes contacts, and texts his Dad: _You ready?_

_Absolutely! General No. 3 is on his way,_ comes the response, and Lloyd's evening is set.


End file.
